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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Louise Williams Bishop |
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Bishop announces home heating assistance enrollment starts Nov. 2
HARRISBURG, Oct. 15 – State Rep. Louise Williams Bishop, D-Phila., has announced that Pennsylvania's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, will open for the 2009-10 heating season on Nov. 2 because of a recent increase in federal funding.
LIHEAP provides grants to help low-income households pay for home heating fuel and heating emergencies. For the upcoming heating season, the cash grant program opens Nov. 2 and the crisis portion of the program will open on Jan. 4.
"I am appealing to qualifying families on fixed incomes in my district to take advantage of this program this winter," Bishop said.
Bishop said cash grants are provided to help pay regular home-heating bills. Crisis grants are available to help resolve heating emergencies, such as furnace failures or unexpected fuel shortages. In addition to proof of income and household size, applicants must provide a recent bill or a statement from their fuel dealer verifying the customer status and the type of fuel that they use.
Bishop said a family of four with an annual income of up to $33,075 can qualify for assistance. Cash grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region.
The Philadelphia legislator said during the 2008-09 LIHEAP season, about 547,000 families received cash grants and more than 202,000 families received crisis assistance.
To download the LIHEAP application, residents can visit the state Department of Public Welfare's Web site at www.dpw.state.pa.us and type "LIHEAP" in the keyword search box.
Bishop said residents with questions or feedback may contact her through her Web site, http://www.pahouse.com/Bishop, or by calling 215-879-6625.
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